AIBU about mum's income and lack of benefit entitlement?

[CanIHaveYourNumberCucumber]

My mum is 61 and is a WASPI. She's 61 and works in catering. She is currently working 30ish hours per week as she is too tired/achy to work full time and out of her £210 per week wages has to pay £120 rent; £50 council tax (repaying a debt) and then has £40 for bills and food.

She has applied for tax credits but because she was working more last year, she is unable to qualify for them.

She is also not eligible for housing benefit or council tax benefit.

She can't work any more because she's exhausted and she says that she's too old to try to do less demanding work and I can't think of anything that she could do instead anyway.

WTF is she supposed to do? She's living every week relying on her tips to buy food, which is no more than £3/4 per day and her life seems such a sad existence.

Sorry I've no advice other than to suggest she speaks to citizens advice or welfare adviser (some areas have specific advisory services) your Mum's situation makes me so angry, it's a classic case where she'd be hardly worse off if she quit work! It's so unfair

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will be along but didn't want to read and run.
So at least this is temporary as next year she will qualify for more benefits?

Could she get a job working from home?

Whenever I'm having a bit of a bad patch I do a few car boot sales. Gets me a bit of extra cash. Ideal for her if she's got loads of junk that she doesn't need lying around.

I really hope it sorts itself out.
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Has she actually applied for WTC? The online calculators only deal with past income but the actual form allows space for explaining changes that mean she may qualify. Apologies if you have already done that but I thought from the entitled to site that I wouldn't be able to claim anything until someone told me that the actual application is different.

Benefits being based on a previous years income is really unfair. Surely they can look at a persons current situation and asses on this basis?

She never wants to be out of work ever again! She was on JSA a few years ago and was living on toast for weeks on end as she still had bills to pay and £70 per week hardly covered anything. She was very very low and had very little support from the JobCentre and instead felt bullied by them. We live a bus ride away from the local JobCentre office and she walked the 8 miles a few times as she didn't have the bus fare. The whole thing makes me very angry when as a lone parent, I get lots of support from the government - and yet my mum who has been working since she was 15, still has to work so hard at the end of her life. She's convinced it's going to put her in an early grave and looking at her after a busy day at work, I do wonder how she's going to get through the next 5 years until she can finally claim her pension.

I would be more worried about why she is exhausted. I am not much younger and although I certainly don't have the energy I once had, I am able to handle full-time work. Has she seen her GP? I hope she can get help - medical and financial - and begin to feel better soon.

She sent the form off a few weeks ago. It came back yesterday saying she's not entitled to tax credits.

Contact Age UK. Usually great advice there.

I rang the Council Tax office and they are sending a income/expenditure form out for her to complete which will hopefully lower her CT payments. It doesn't help that when she's tried to phone to negotiate lower payments previously, there's one horrible woman at the office that keeps being vile telling her either she pays it or they'll send in the bailiffs.

Ring tax credits, they can change it and do it on this year's- we did after a redundancy. Ring now as I don't know if they can backdate it!

Age UK - that's a good suggestion, thank you.

I'm totally at a loss as to what to do with her as I can't keep giving/loaning her money when she's struggling but I can't really stand by and watch while I have money and she has none.

She needs to phone back or speak to CAB. I'm sure they can fix that..it sounds like an error! In the meantime would she consider foodbanks?

Tanaqui - Thank you, I will get her to ring them tonight!

It's shit OP...utterly shit that our older people as well as our younger, aren't being paid properly OR being offered support.

It's shit to see her look forward to her pension age getting nearer and nearer and now it's so far in the future, she may as well be working until she's 76 never mind 66 it seems so out of reach.

Definitely get advice on the tax credits issue, they base it on previous year's income but it depends on how big the reduction was. They do get things wrong sometimes so worth your mum taking her tax credit award letter and calculation to an expert.

CanI - she needs to ask them to do a projection on her wages. They don't seem to tell people this which is why so many struggle until the following year when they get a massive back payment.

Missedith01 - Where can I find a "expert"? I'd not know where to start

Tazerface - Thank you for that. I will get the letter and get her to phone them.

Entitledto.com says she should get £11 per week, and although it's not a huge amount, it would make a big difference.

The problem is that the Government do not deem 61 to be old these days. Is she actually ill (ie has a diagnosis?). I know its crap my own Mum is 63 and works 40 plus hours a week as a carer for people with special needs, my Aunt is 65 and works full time in a factory. I get that your Mum is tired and achy, mine is too but she simply cannot afford not to work full time as there just simply is not any state support.

I don't understand what a WASPI is.

I also don't understand why you think your mum deserves money from the rest of us? She can't be arsed to work full time so doesn't have enough money. Oh I'm a bit tired too so if I just go part time can ebpveryone sub me too? Unless she has a medical condition she should be paying her own way. You can't expect the government to pay for you just because you're tired.

61 is not exactly elderly!

She needs to call them and get it assessed on this year's income and stay on top of updating them with changes.

Otherwise look for more work, 61 is a long way off retirement for many.

The advice about seeing a GP is correct - really at 61 she shouldn't be so exhausted she can't manage full time work. She's hardly elderly.